50 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING 



above classes. As to position, buds are (a) lateral or 

 axillary; that is, produced in the leaf axils, or (b) termi- 

 nal ; that is, borne at the extremities of shoots. Buds 

 may also be dormant or latent. 



54. Dormant or resting buds are developed during the 

 growing season, but remain quiescent during the winter 

 or the dry season which follows. If they continue to rest 

 longer than this, though still technically -'resting buds," 

 they are usually termed latent. 



55. Latent buds require a more vigorous stimulus than 

 do dormant buds to force them into growth. They are com- 

 monly located upon the lower portions of shoots and 

 branches, and simply because of their unfavorable posi- 

 tion do not as often expand under normal growth stimuli 

 as do buds farther up on the stems. The peach, especially 

 a young tree, furnishes an excellent illustration, because 

 usually only the terminal and a few of the upper buds on 

 "last year's" growth normally develop into twigs "this 

 year." However, if the last year's growth be cut back, 

 twigs will develop from buds which would otherwise 

 remain latent. 



Generally the terminal bud and those near it are the 

 first to expand into twigs, and generally, also, the strength 

 of these twigs is, according to their relative position, the 

 strongest from the terminal bud the next strong from the 

 nearest lateral bud, the weakest from the lowest lateral 

 that expands. There usually remain several to many 

 lateral buds which continue latent. 



For experiment, let the branch be cut off just below 

 the lowest bud that has developed a twig. In due time 

 the highest latent bud will assume more or less satis- 

 factorily the duties of a terminal bud and adjacent buds 

 will develop lateral twigs (Fig. 66). If the original 

 branch is long enough, this experiment may be repeated as 

 long as any latent buds remain. Whether the experiment 

 be performed on "last year's" wood or wood several years 



